By habit, I have a tendency to stray away from solo acts. Whenever a release about a new solo artist comes through my inbox, I immediately become a little dismissive, picturing another singer-songwriter with nothing but an acoustic guitar and some lyrics about forests (or something). Of course there are numerous established exceptions, but my eyes tend to glaze over new names, which is exactly what I'm guilty of doing a few months ago when I saw Jon McKiel 's first show up. It's a regrettable habit, and something I'm now kicking myself for. When first hearing [...]

Music fans - read bloggers/reviewers - often complain that the art of collection and creative expression are being forced out by the overpopulation of accessibility. The playing field is leveled and now everyone can hear any song, any record, and borrow from any influence at the speed of fiber optics. In the past, hunting down records took time and finding influences that could shape a sound was like choosing a profession in the 602s. You had one chance, spent years fine tuning your efforts and stayed the course, for better or for worse. Today, [...]

It's not so long since we last heard from Halifax songwriter Jon McKiel . His new single, "Strands," reminds me a bit of something that could have appeared on Chad VanGaalen 's latest LP. It's slow but noisy, with a straightforward guitar rock style that's augmented by a subtle undercurrent of weirdness (in this case, distant blips and bleeps that sound as if they're coming from a mid-'90s home computer). The production is brittle and no-bullshit, and the vocals are hauntingly double-tracked. Go to Exclaim! [...]

Halifax's Jon Mckiel is ready to take over the world with his sludge-heavy, poetic jams. With the long overdue arrival of his new album - Tonka War Cloud - and the fact he's playing the 1st ever herohill/kelp/Saved by Radio BBQ on the 21st @ The Company House, chances are October will be a big month for Mckiel. MP3:: Jon Mckiel - Strands WEB:: http://jonmckiel.com/

ARTIST: The SWAG Report 73 with freebie mp3 downloads for songs by artists including Cuff The Duke, Nerves Junior, Wavves, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Kurt Vile, Jon McKiel, Wilco, Chuck Ragan, Mary Lou Lord, Fujiya & Miyagi and more! So much more! DATE: 09-07-11 WRITER: Don Loder Hey junkie, I know I say dis a bunch but, wow, are you a lucky little buncha punks'is week. I nabbedja some pure, white hot-an'-addictive gold! Ann'it ain't no small amount neither! I nabbed new tunes [...]

Considering how many people contributed to the Gordon Lightfoot project, it's not surprising that a few missed the deadline. It's to be expected, especially when you are asking people to record covers on their own time and their own dime. Considering that he's become a road warrior - and actually had to try to mix and master this song between trips out to Calgary for Sled Island - it's amazing that Halifax's Jon Mckiel not only found time to head to a studio (Diego Medina's Old Confidence Lodge), he managed to [...]
Ok, so the Halifax Pop Explosion has the fall festival scene on lock here in Halifax, and those same folks are premiering MFest this August, but what if you want to hit a festival this month? Well if you've got a festival jones in your wet creaky bones, then you'll want to be in North End Halifax next weekend (May 19th-22nd) for the Long Live The Queen festival . Now in its 2nd year (I believe it began last year, but I could be wrong), LLTQ is [...]

Rain Over St. Ambrose is a band formed by East Coast artist Cory LeBlanc. His father passed away a week after telling Cory that he'd rather see him be the frontman of a band, rather than the drummer. So, this once drummer for artists Jon McKiel and Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees has taken his fathers advice and turned in his sticks for a guitar; the result being a 3 song, self-titled EP out on April 19th. Full of crunchy guitars, honest lyrics and memorable hooks, Rain Over St. Ambrose make my ears [...]

ARTIST: The SWAG Report 45 with freebie mp3 downloads for songs by John Doe, Cesar Luciano, Bob Seger, Blueprint, Aphasia, Memphis, Peter Elkas and more! So much more! DATE: 03-03-11 WRITER: Don Loder Looks like ya hit pay dirt junkie! So after a couple o'weeks suckin' fumes wit' SWAG at a trickle, I gotcher first motherload o' the year right 'ere! Check this out bitch - I got thirty-eight individual songs 'ere, an' a whole comp ta [view more]
Jon McKiel - Motion Pictures Buy US: Buy UK:
To celebrate today's crop of releases, here are new mp3s from Akron/Family, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Emily Arin, the Asteroid #4, the Babies, Clockcleaner, Cut Copy, the District Attorneys, Esben & The Witch, Goddamn Electric Bill, Joan Of Arc, La Resistance, Lullwater, Jon McKiel, the O's, Laura Peek, Salva, [...]

I've got a confession: I tend to be kind of dismissive of solo artists. When I hear about a new solo artist, I immediately imagine that he or she (but usually he) is another singer-songwriter in the Jack Johnson mould. Thankfully, that's not the case with Halifax's Jon McKiel . Here's the song "Motion Pictures" from his new EP Confidence Lodge . This isn't sappy dude-with-acoustic-guitar music. It's a driving rocker that bristles with lo-fi distortion, distant vocal harmonies and infectious pop hooks. The chorus is catchy as hell, but McKiel only gives us two of [...]

mogwai kommen mit dem siebten album und dem ersten für sub pop am 15. februar um die ecke, vorab schlägt aber erst einmal die single "rano pano" auf, die flip "hasenheide" wird es auf dem kommenden album "hardcore will never die, but you will" nicht geben, erscheint am 18. januar: mogwai - rano pano mogwai - san pedro apropos sub pop, da will mir doch dieses bald erscheinende album nicht aus dem kopf gehen, am 01. märz ist es zeit für "fading [...]
Every day, Daily Downloads offers 10 free and legal mp3 downloads, plus free and legal live sets from around the internet. Today's free and legal mp3 downloads: Bardo Pond : "Cracker Wrist" [mp3] from Bardo Pond search for more Bardo Pond posts at Largehearted Boy David Gergen : "Love Blues #11" [mp3] from The Nearer [...]

From Nova Scotia comes Jon McKiel an artist whose previews release Tonka Warcloud placed him on the music radar. After touring all around North America, Jon McKiel returns with a 5 track alum titled "Confidence Lodge", to be released in February 8 th of this year. Today I received a track of this album entitled " Motion Pictures" which caries that upbeat indie pop sound seldom used in this day of synthetic sounds. Jon McKiel - Motion Pictures [...]
Halifax singer/songwriter Jon McKiel has announced the release of a new EP. Confidence Lodge is a 5-track set named for a former Odd Fellows Hall in Riverport, NS that's been converted into a studio. Take a listen to the track "Motion Pictures" now. The EP comes out on February 8th.

2010 came and went without a new record from Jon Mckiel , which sadly made my musical stock investment for 2010 a bit of a bust. Funding and bad luck played a part in derailing his year, but Mckiel still managed to play countless shows and fine tune his sound. Anyone that's seen him play live lately will know the indie rock anthems he and the band preferred on The Nature of Things have been replaced by sludge filled mopers and pleasantly lonely uke driven melodies. [...]

Well kids, the time has come, Joel, Rob, Ian & Cliff got their Voltron on and re-formed last night, as the opening show of their mini-reunion tour went down in Moncton (and from the brief accounts I've read so far today, it sounds like copious amounts of fun were had by both the band and the crowd). But let's be honest, the tour kicks off for realz tonight, with the boys rocking a very familiar hometown stage they would have graced last when it was the Marquee. So then, it's going to be quite the [...]

A few months ago I was asked by the National Post to contribute to their " put your stock in a musician " series. With all the incredible talent across this country and hidden away from the masses here on the East Coast, the options were high, but I settled on Halifax's Jon McKiel . Jon's last record was a solid collection of indie rock anthems, but any of his new material that's leaked out shows he's really found his stride. Jon's experimenting with heavier, sludge filled riffs but hasn't lost his love of [...]

War on you - Jon McKiel Une voix plaintive, une production moderne et des sons dissonants, c'est le cocktail réussi de Little Dragon Never Never - Little Dragon Nothing on us - Deportees Big bird - Brothers of end Un morceau touchant et plein de retenue interprété par James Figurine [...]